From Green Team to Bravo
by Tartlette1
Summary: He was the man they needed to complete their team. A look at how one of Bravo's current team members went from Green Team to Bravo.


"_So what do you think?_" Ray posed the question that had been on all of their minds for the past 4 weeks. Down a man, Bravo Team was looking to add a new recruit from Green Team. They had been watching and observing Green Team go through its brutal training and selection process. As always, there were some stellar candidates. Each one possessing a strength, focus, determination and hardness that would be needed as a Tier One operator. But as Ray and Jason both knew, those weren't the only criteria to consider. The men in Green Team all met the strict requirements to get them this far. They wouldn't be here otherwise. What Ray and Jason were looking for, like all other Team leaders looked for, was the intangible. What did their own team need right now to make it complete? Who would be the man that, when added to the current Bravo team, would elevate Bravo above all others? Who among these candidates would be the best of the best for Bravo?

In Jason Hayes, Bravo had its leader. A true legend among Seal Teams, Jason had more experience than any other currently active team leader in DEVGRU. However, it wasn't just his experience that made him a legend. It was his instincts. His instincts in the field, in exercising his command, in fully knowing the men whose lives he was responsible for and his unyielding focus in successfully completing every mission and bringing everyone home alive. Jason Hayes never backed down. From anything. He was laser focused. A leader who lead by example. He inspired loyalty and devotion from every man who served under him. That there was even an opening in Bravo was somewhat unusual. But because there was an opening, all of Green Team had its eyes on Bravo. Just as the current members of Bravo all had their eyes on the recruits, watching them and sizing them up. Of that group of Green Team candidates, Jason had spotted the man he thought belonged in Bravo. He'd seen him on the first day. Again, it was Jason Hayes' famous instincts. He just knew. When you know, you know. That was their guy. The man they needed. But Jason kept his thoughts to himself for quite a while, carefully listening to what the other men of Bravo were saying and observing.

Ray, the 2IC, was the man Jason most trusted in any scenario. In any situation. They had been working together for a long time and known each other for years. Ray was the brother Jason always wanted. They caroused together in their single days and now that they were both married men and fathers, their families were close. Closer than most biological family relationships. Jason and Alana. Ray and Naima. They were the aunts and uncles to each other children.

As Ray watched Green Team go through its final days before selection, he wondered what Jason was thinking. There was one obvious candidate that stood out. The golden boy. Nearly top scores in all areas, he caught everyone's attention. And his last name was one they all knew. It made him both popular and unpopular. However, Ray had some reservations about him. Wondered if he was the right fit for Bravo? Was he too arrogant or possibly even a loose cannon that might not work well in a team environment? It was impossible to know for sure until they were in the field and under fire. Ray wasn't sure he wanted to wait until that moment to find out. There was another candidate though, that he had been observing for quite some time. Since he first realized who it was that Jason was really interested it.

It was around the third or fourth day when Ray had noticed Jason surreptitiously watching one of the other candidates in particular. Not the golden boy. At first, Ray wondering what it was that caught Jason's attention. The candidate did nothing outwardly to call attention to himself. Ray had to rack his brain trying to remember if he had even observed him before that day? He came up with nothing. It was only after Ray had done a little digging that he realized just what he had been missing. The candidate had somehow managed to rank in the top 3 in all areas, across the board, without ever calling attention to himself. Despite his obvious top qualifications, he was still a team first guy on every exercise. Nothing he did was for his own glory or advancement. Ray was more than impressed. He believed this was the man they needed for Bravo. He knew Jason knew it as well. That Jason had known it from the first day is what was really inspiring.

Sonny considered Green Team his personal source of entertainment. That he had hated the Green Team experience and BUDS as much as he did was probably the reason he took so much joy in watching everyone else endure and struggle through the physical aspects of it. Sonny, secretly a champion of the underdog, loved to needle and call out the Green Team favorites as they struggled. Pointing out where they failed and chastising their failures as potential risks to the lives of everyone around them. Aside from his personal amusement, at his heart, Sonny absolutely believed this was necessary.

Nothing meant more to Sonny than the lives of his brothers. Whether they were his brothers in Bravo. Seal Team brothers. Or his military brothers in general. It was all the same to Sonny. Everything he did. Everything he said. Every time he questioned military intelligence and the good idea fairies. It all had the same purpose and intent behind it. To make sure everyone came home alive. So Sonny would make sure that the recruits that were coming up knew where, when and why they had failed. So that they would never make that same mistake again. So that whatever team they ended up on would never loose a man, a brother of Sonny's, because of that mistake.

This Green Team class didn't seem that different to Sonny than any other that had come through it before. Until one night when he happened to come upon a private discussion between the golden boy of Green Team and one his fellow candidates.

Everyone knew the golden boy. He came from a long family line of military men who served with great honour and distinction. His grandfather had been an Admiral of the Navy. His father was an Air Force colonel in Desert Storm. His brother an Army ranger recently awarded the Silver Star. The golden boy was likely on a similar career path. But he had the unique combination of arrogance and a chip on his shoulder that was getting in his way. As Sonny approached, unnoticed, he could overhear the golden boy being counseled privately by one of his fellow green team candidates. Sonny hung back, in the shadows, listening intently.

Sonny recognized the other candidate, the man with the dark curly hair. He had impressed Sonny during physical endurance tests, on land and especially in the water. Sonny hated the water with such a passion that he held a secret reverence of those that were so comfortable in it. The dark haired recruit was probably the strongest swimmer Sonny had ever seen come through. And that was saying a lot considering this was the US Navy. He was also an impressive runner. His physicality stood out. Not in the ways of most of Seals. He certainly couldn't bench press a car bumper. He was a bit taller than most of the guys and more than a fair bit leaner. He had the build of a natural athlete. Not the manufactured strength of a gym rat. Sonny watched and observed the dark haired candidate prove just how strong, agile and fearless he was in every endurance challenge and physical obstacle Green Team faced.

Observing the private conversation, the golden boy's body language told Sonny that he was listening intently to what the other men was telling him. The golden boy clearly had a deep respect for the other man. The golden boy was listening to the advice offered and seemingly take it to heart. From what Sonny could tell, he was eavesdropping on a mixture of 50% pep talk, 25% firm scolding and 25% friendly advice. The dark haired man had clearly taken his friend aside, privately, to voice his concerns and selflessly offer advice and guidance to help a friend overcome some of the obstacles he was facing during selection. Although they were in a competition of sorts, the dark haired man had a quiet self-confidence in himself, and no innate desire for personal glory. He wanted for his friend, what his friend wanted for himself. He was going to help his friend achieve his goal. Sonny was impressed. The more he saw, the more Sonny liked this dark-haired guy. Bravo needed this guy. Bravo would be better with him.

Trent and the lead Green Team instructor had been friends for years. They went way back to before BUDS. They had been through hell together and helped each other recover from it. As the current Green Team class was nearing completion, the two men met over beers. To catch up, and perhaps compare notes. Trent wanted to know if his personal assessment of the candidate, Brock Reynolds, was accurate. By the second beer, Trent knew. Brock Reynolds was who they had been looking for and exactly who they needed.

"_Let me tell you about Brock Reynolds. What I've seen, what's in his record and what I know from asking around to those he worked with before he got here." _

As the Green Team instructor began, Trent was all ears, listening intently._ "He's the best swimmer we've probably ever had. Not that it comes up that much, but it certainly comes in handy. He was a state champion and Division I swimmer in college. Not in the glory speed events or relays, but in the lone wolf, long-distance, lung busting 1,500m. Which really, I should have guessed was his specialty. After competing at Olympic Trials, with a Top 16 placing, he finished up his engineering degree, in less than 4 years, which is pretty fucking impressive, and joined the Navy. He could have come in as an officer given his education, but declined, preferring to start from the bottom. I also don't think he sees himself as a leader. He doesn't really gravitate towards that role. If I had to guess, in his military career, everything he does and has done is to ensure the survival of those around him. That's what drives him. There's probably a past trauma in his life somewhere involving the loss of someone he couldn't save. But maybe I'm wrong and that's the beer talking. I'm not a psychiatrist, nor does the "why" really matter to me_."

"S_o aside from the swimming, he's an endurance athlete freak show. You want to run hills with him? Fine. Just don't put any money on it. You might beat him up that first hill and maybe even the second one. But the third one or any after that? You don't stand a chance. No one does. He'll easily beat you there. And it won't be close_."

"_He's really, really quiet. Not in an uncomfortable, anti-social, gunman in the bell tower, way. It's not that he doesn't like to talk. He's just more of an observer of people and a conserver of words. Strangely, for someone so quiet, he gets along well with everyone and he's usually a part of whatever social activity is going on. He has a way that puts people at ease. They like being around him. They enjoy his company. He enjoys theirs as well. He's so self-assured and quietly confident that he's himself in every situation. He never changes. It's reliable and reassuring. People respond to that._"

"_But just know, that should he ever speak up, questioning the information or offering an suggestion, then you better fucking listen. His instincts and assessment are spot-on. He won't fight you on it though if you don't listen to what he's saying or asking. That's not his style. Maybe that's a problem? I don't know. But he follows the rules and adheres to chain of command. If he's said his peace, then that's all he feels he can do. He'll do whatever is asked of him, regardless of the cost. He'll do it because that's the job, because that's what his superiors have ordered and because he needs to be there to do everything he can to make sure everyone comes home alive._"

As he drained his last beer, the Green Team lead instructor smiled at Trent and laughingly said, "B_rock Reynolds is both a mysterious enigma and the most honest, upfront, what you see is what you get, guy that I've ever come across. I feel that I know everything I need to know about him, while also knowing pretty much nothing about him personally._"

"I_ do know this… His skill set is elite level across the board. He selfless and he's is under-the-radar tough as nails. He's a warrior. __I'd stand next to him in any battle. With him there, I'd like our odds."_

That was all Trent needed to hear. Most of it was verbalizing what he already knew and had observed. What he didn't know, he already suspected. Trent had been certain who who he was going to vote for. This confirmed his instincts were right.

In the end, it was unanimous. Even Nate, who believed, incorrectly, that it didn't matter who they selected given the pool of talent they were choosing from, team chemistry be damned. Even Nate had figured out Brock was the best of the current selection group. Trent thought, but kept it to himself, that it was because Brock wasn't flashy or sufficiently Alpha-male dominant to be a perceived threat contributed to Nate's decision making. Trent was well aware that Nate didn't take kindly to what he saw as a threat to his rank in the team hierarchy.

Personally Trent was happy to have Brock join Bravo. They needed his calmness and steady strength to temper the alpha-ness of Jason, Ray, Sonny and wannabe Nate. Trent also thought Brock was exactly the kind of guy he'd want to hang out with outside of work, who would be a great friend as well as teammate. When you know, you just know.

Bravo was elite, the best of the best. And the day they selected Brock Reynolds they became even better.

**Author's Note: I took some obvious liberties here with Brock's backstory. But the character is a blank canvas, so I projected what I saw or could see as plausible. As for the golden boy character also referenced, I assume you know that's not Clay. Just some misdirection I was hoping for before leading the reader through to it being a backstory of Brock's selection to Bravo**


End file.
